With Honors

Chapter 2

The pond rippled gently as the last rays of sunlight peered through the treetops and glistened over the water's surface, shimmering a brilliant orange. Adri hugged her blazer closer, shivering slightly as the breeze swept through her thin uniform. She was sat on a rock near the water's edge, staring at the pebbles and twigs below, lost in thought.

Over and over her mind replayed the scenes from the newscast: the panicked screams, the earth sliding down the mountainside, the tiny houses disappearing beneath the mud and rubble. It wasn't real, it couldn't be.
Her gaze hardened as she continued to stare blankly into space. She wanted to scream, cry, close her eyes and wake up from this nightmare, but alas, she felt frozen to the spot, her chest too tight make a sound.

She let out a sigh as she heard someone approach on the trail, coming to a halt behind her.

"I thought I might find you here," Mr. Wells said softly.

Adri turned to look at him questioningly

"You wrote about this place in one of your essays last year, remember?"

She nodded slowly and forced a weak smile before looking away again.

"Listen," he eased himself down beside her and looked across the water, "You don't have to talk, but let's get you back to campus. It's getting dark and you'll catch a cold out here." He hesitated, then gently wrapped an arm around her, "You worried us by running out of the office like that you know, everyone's looking for you."

Adri rested her head on his shoulder, "Sorry," she mumbled. She wasn't really sure why, given their lack of familiarity, but she felt comfort in Mr. Wells' presence. "Can we stay just a little bit longer?"

He squeezed her arm reassuringly, "I suppose a few more minutes won't hurt."

They sat in silence, taking in the beauty of the environment. This was Adri's favorite place to gather her thoughts.  She came here if she got into arguments with her friends, felt homesick, or was feeling stressed about a big exam. Usually it brought her peace, but it didn't seem to have any effect today. She should have brought her parents here, she thought. It reminded her of the trails by her home. Her mother would have loved it. Her mother... Adri's heart lurched as the image of the blue house being swallowed by the mountainside played again in her head.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Wells' radio screeching to life.
"Any news?" The headmaster's voice called out through the static.

"Found her, we're on our way back now," Mr. Wells replied.

"Great, I'll call off the search."

He stood and roughly dusted himself off. "Guess we gotta go," he said, extending his hand to help Adri up. She nodded sadly, and gestured for him to lead the way back to school.

As they walked, she glanced at Mr. Wells. Why was he being so nice? It seemed so uncharacteristic. She supposed she only knew him inside the classroom as a strict professor. Perhaps the difference was just the situation, and right now he took pity on her. Yeah, she decided, that's probably it. But then again, her father had taken a liking to him on their first visit to school. Maybe there was more to Mr. Wells than she knew.

"Did they find them?" She asked timidly as they approached the campus.

"No word yet Adriana, I'm sorry."

"Oh." She sighed and stopped, turning to her professor, "They're gone, aren't they."

Mr. Wells' look was that of shock and bewilderment. He certainly hadn't seen that coming. Should he tell her the truth? Could she handle it? In the time he had known this young woman, she had proven to be confident and strong willed, but the current situation would test even the strongest character's resilience. Taking a deep breath, he composed himself, "Nothing is for certain yet."

Adri huffed, "That's bullshit and you know it. I don't need to be babied."

Again Mr. Wells looked at her in shock. "Well," he said carefully, "While you may want to prepare yourself for the worst, there is always a possibility that-"

"Possibilities aren't good enough!" She interjected with a loud stomp of her foot and her face contorted in rage, "Why don't you just say it! They're dead!" She yelled, "They're dead and no ones ever gonna find them!"

With that Adri turned and sprinted towards campus, as the first of many tears began to fall.